Scoppe column: A tough out, but Devilpups suffer disappointing loss

Lejeune finished the season at 26-1 overall.

Rick Scoppe/The Daily News

By Rick Scoppe-Sports Editor

Published: Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 11:00 AM.

FAYETTEVILLE
— After seeing the Lejeune girls’ basketball team for the first time earlier this year, I agreed with a coach whose opinion I valued: The Devilpups might not last long in the state 1-A playoffs.

I was wrong.

After seeing Lejeune a second time I changed my mind. I knew the Devilpups would be a tough out. And with each playoff victory, it looked like Lejeune was headed to the state finals on March 16.

I was wrong again.

Lejeune lost Saturday to
River
Mill
Academy
55-38, a game the Devilpups could have won. I know that sounds ridiculous given the final margin.

But Lejeune just wasn’t Lejeune.

The Devilpups, probably the best foul shooting team (boys or girls) I saw this year were horrible at the foul line (1 of 10) while having more than twice as many turnovers (21-9) and half as many offensive rebounds (21-11).

FAYETTEVILLE — After seeing the Lejeune girls’ basketball team for the first time earlier this year, I agreed with a coach whose opinion I valued: The Devilpups might not last long in the state 1-A playoffs.

I was wrong.

After seeing Lejeune a second time I changed my mind. I knew the Devilpups would be a tough out. And with each playoff victory, it looked like Lejeune was headed to the state finals on March 16.

I was wrong again.

Lejeune lost Saturday to RiverMillAcademy 55-38, a game the Devilpups could have won. I know that sounds ridiculous given the final margin.

But Lejeune just wasn’t Lejeune.

The Devilpups, probably the best foul shooting team (boys or girls) I saw this year were horrible at the foul line (1 of 10) while having more than twice as many turnovers (21-9) and half as many offensive rebounds (21-11).

And yet the Jaguars had only an 11-10 advantage in second-chance points. In fact, River Mill coach Hamilton Perkins thought Lejeune had won the battle of the boards before he looked at the stat sheet.

Turnovers were another story. River Mill scored 21 points off turnovers to 3 by Lejeune. That Lejeune had 21 turnovers was no surprise, but that the Jaguars had 9 was given they had 25 in the regional semifinals.

Finally, Lejeune senior Chatori Major had an off day. It happens to the best of them. At practice Thursday it was clear she wasn’t feeling well, which coach Kevin Popadines confirmed Saturday. But he refused to use that as an excuse, saying the team’s been battling some kind of illness for a couple months.

While she had 20 points, Major was just 8 of 25 from the floor, and her teammates scored just 18 points on 9-of-23 shooting.